A Texas rapper known as G$ Lil Ronnie was shot and killed while at a car wash with his daughter, 5, on Monday in broad daylight.
Just before 11 am, police responded to a shooting at Slappy’s Express Car Wash in Forest Hill, a suburb of Fort Worth, and despite life-saving measures, pronounced the rapper, Ronnie Smith, and his daughter, R’Mani, dead at the scene.
Police said the two suspects were driving a white four-door Kia and approached the victim’s vehicle while it was parked.
They opened fire and fled the scene before authorities arrived. Police have not released the identities of the suspects, but did say they were two black men wearing blue jeans and grey sweaters.
Surveillance footage of the incident went viral on social media and revealed the moments before shots were fired.
Ronnie was seen running across the parking lot while two men chased after him before fleeing the scene.
A suspect has been identified and police released an active warrant for Capital Murder.
The tragic shooting has left the community of Forest Hill and the family members of the victims shocked and devastated.
Family members confirmed the identities of the victims to local ABC affiliate, WFAA News.
‘He was a good kid. He was,’ Ronnie’s aunt Stella Houston told the outlet. ‘He didn’t bother nobody, He didn’t.’
Houston told local NBC affiliate, WCAU News, that all her family knows so far is Ronnie was cleaning out his car when the suspects shot him.
‘Why would you target him? Why would you target him? He didn’t bother nobody. And a baby? His baby?’
Becky Johnson, a resident who lived near the shooting, told WFAA that she heard about six gunshots. Other neighbors in the area reported hearing up to 20 gunshots on Monday morning.
Slappy’s Car Wash released a statement following the tragedy that read, ‘Right now, there are more questions than answers.
‘Thankfully, law enforcement and medics responded quickly and worked to secure the area, protect and treat the victims as well as our people who were working early this morning.’
Family members told WCAU that R’Mani had just celebrated her fifth birthday on Sunday.
Just two weeks ago he shared a photo with his daughter celebrating Valentine’s Day at their school.
Ronnie posed with his daughter and her friend at the event, captioning the sweet photo, ‘My Lil Valentines Literally.’
Tributes have already begun pouring in for the local rapper and his little girl, with many flocking to his social media to send condolences.
‘You and your baby girl rest easy ! Literally the best gambler in Texas !’ one comment read.
‘Whole city hurt right now RIP to ronnie n babygirl get yall rest baby [praying emoji] praying for the family,’ another added.
‘Whole city hurt [heartbroken emoji,’ another agreed.
‘Lil Ronnie and his 5 year old daughter getting shot up gotta be the saddest and most disgusting thing to happen this year. An innocent baby,’ one fan wrote in a tweet on X.
‘Shoutout lil Ronnie for all the heat he gave us thru middle school and hs. Bro was fr a pioneer to DFW [Dallas-Fort Worth] rap. R.I.P,’ another wrote.
Ronnie had over 151,000 followers on Instagram and frequently posted vlogs and music videos on his social media accounts.
He had over 19,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 40,000 listeners on Spotify. Ronnie’s top songs were Hoodfame Killuminati, Wops, Stay Out My Way featuring Go Yayo and Cj Kasino, and Crash Pt 4. featuring Go Yayo.
The senseless tragedy contributes to a concerning trend in Forest Hill, as the deaths mark the fourth and fifth homicides reported in the city this year.
The increase in homicides has community members concerned, especially since the city didn’t have any last year.
‘You just got to be careful out here, watch your step, it’s crazy out here,’ Forest Hill resident Randy Owens told WCAU.
‘You’re not safe nowhere, you just got to pick your spots, you know what I’m saying?’
The rise in gun violence in Forest Hill took the lives of two people after a shooting at an auto sales business just two weeks ago.
Days later, a mother in the neighborhood was sitting by a fire pit in her backyard when a bullet penetrated her fence and killed her.
The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation into the shooting with the assistance of the Forest Hill Criminal Division and local police departments.
Authorities are asking anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts to contact the Forest Hill Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division.
Dailymail.com reached out to the Texas Rangers and Forest Hill PD for an update on the case but didn’t immediately hear back.